Bygones appear to be bygones as Matt Schaub, left, and Andre Johnson, who engaged in a verbal confrontation Sunday, stretch before Wednesday's practice.

Bygones appear to be bygones as Matt Schaub, left, and Andre...

Matt Schaub was nearly three minutes into a media interview Wednesday when he abruptly ended it.

Schaub has been mostly invisible in the Texans' locker room during open-access periods since third-stringer Case Keenum became the struggling team's starting quarterback. So when Schaub spoke Wednesday, he initially had something to say.

Asked about his uncertain future and the increasing likelihood he won't be a Texan next season, Schaub didn't reveal much. But he acknowledged a disastrous season has been very difficult on him and his frustrated teammates.

In 2012, Schaub was rewarded with a four-year contract extension with a maximum value of $62 million and his second Pro Bowl selection. This year, Schaub was benched midgame during a Week 5 road loss to San Francisco, then lost his starting spot to Keenum.

He added: "It's been very hard. There is no question. We're sitting here 2-8. It's not anything that any of us anticipated. Our expectations and our standards are much higher."

Schaub became tense a couple of times during the interview. When a question about the Texans' desire for having only "smart fans" at their home games was asked, Schaub was done. The 10-year veteran grimaced, shook his head, turned his back and ended the session.

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In just one year, Schaub's world has been thrown upside down. In Week 11 against Jacksonville last year, Schaub set a franchise record with 43 completions, threw a career-high five touchdown passes, and tied former Oiler Warren Moon for the second-most passing yards in an NFL game (527), finishing 27 shy of Norm Van Brocklin's 1951 mark. In turn, the Texans carved out a 43-37 overtime home victory over the Jaguars, moving closer to their 2012 peak of an 11-1 record.

Week 11 contrast

Week 11 this year became another professional nightmare for Schaub. He was inserted late in the third quarter to replace a faltering Keenum. Schaub responded with two scoring drives, produced decent numbers (12-of-25, 155 yards) and nearly guided the Texans to a come-from-behind home victory over the Oakland Raiders. But as soon as Schaub took the field, boos rang out inside Reliant Stadium, forcing the Texans' offense to turn to a silent count just to get plays off cleanly.

Texans players heard the beginnings of the negative chorus while Schaub hurriedly warmed up. By the time he took the field, they were trying to adjust to their new quarterback at the same time they were processing the fact their home crowd was booing every Schaub-led move.

"That's not fun to come into, especially for him," third-string quarterback T.J. Yates said. "He's done so much around here. That hurt him. He's not going to say it, but it's going to affect anybody that's in that situation."

Schaub stuck to the script discussing the boos, saying the Texans' offense regularly employs a silent count in road contests. He then shut down when tight end Owen Daniels' suggestion that the Texans need only intelligent supporters at Reliant was mentioned.

"I can't control how people feel or how they react," Schaub said. "They're fans - that's what they're there for, good or bad. We just have to handle it and find a way to win."

Johnson sympathizes

The Texans, who host 1-9 Jacksonville on Sunday, haven't won since Sept. 15 and are tied with three other teams for the NFL's second-worst record. Schaub rivals coach Gary Kubiak as the Texan most affected by the team's year-long nosedive. Kubiak suffered a mini-stroke two weeks ago and still hasn't resumed full duties. Schaub was felled by an NFL-record four consecutive games in which he threw a pick-six. His professional pride and future in Houston and the Texans' broken season haven't been the same since.

"I don't think anybody saw this coming. At the same time, that's the nature of the business. Guys come; guys go," veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson said. "You hate to see what he's going through. As a player, I'm sure it's been very stressful for him. But at the same time, he still comes in here and prepares to go out and play. If his number is called, he'll be ready to go. That's big of him, because some guys would just throw in the towel. But he hasn't done that."